CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte women's basketball used an
18-0 run covering over seven minutes of the first half to turn the score in its
favor and secure a 69-54 victory over Davidson Friday evening inside Halton
Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

The 49ers placed three players in double-figure scoring, led by Hillary Sigmon's
13 points. Freshman Kira Gordon knocked down 5-of-7 field goals to finish with
a career-high 12 points, her first game in double digits, while Ny Hammonds
chipped in 10 points. Hammonds, the nation's leader with 7.6 assists per game,
distributed six helpers with three steals.

The senior post combination of Jennifer Hailey and Amanda Dowe each hauled in
double-figure rebounds, helping Charlotte (8-2) win the battle on the glass in
all 10 games this year and grabbing at least 40 caroms for the eighth contest.

Hailey picked up 14 boards, including 11 on the defensive glass, while Dowe
registered 12 rebounds. Hailey also had two blocks, featuring one on the
Wildcats' first possession of the game, to extend her consecutive games streak
to 22.

Dakota Dukes paced Davidson (4-6) with 15 points, the lone player in
double-figure points. Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Sophia
Aleksandravicius was limited to only four points on 2-of-18 from the floor, as
the Niners defense forced her into multiple bad decisions.

The Wildcats rattled off an 11-2 surge, including three-straight 3-pointers
from Hannah Early, Laura Murray and Katrin Chiemeka to jump in front 20-19 with
9:40 to play and causing the 49ers to call a 30-second timeout. Charlotte
maintained a 17-9 advantage following a Jai Forney triple at 12:14, using an
8-0 spurt to break open the game's second tie, 9-9.

The timeout seemed to do wonders, as the next 18 points fell into the 49ers
hoop, starting with an Ayanna Holmes triple at 9:09. Hammonds would then tally
the ensuing eight points, including her lone 3-pointer, while Hailey, Gordon
and Alexis Alexander also took turns finding the bottom of the net.

Murray finally ended the Davidson scoring lull with a pair of free throws at
1:28 but a Sigmon trey with 49 seconds to play sent the Niners into the
intermission ahead, 40-22. At the half, Charlotte recognized the program's 2003
NCAA Tournament team with 10 of the 13 players returning to campus for the festivities.

The momentum stayed in the 49ers' favor to start the second period. The defense
continued pressuring the Wildcats and an 8-0 stretch during the first 3:33 to
increase the cushion to 26, 48-22. Chiemeka hit a layup at 16:27 to halt the
surge and allow Davidson to mount a 7-0 run of its own during the next minute,
capped by an old-fashioned three-point play from Shannon Eriksson.

Following another Sigmon 3-pointer on the next Niners possession, the margin
stayed above 20 for over 13 minutes. It would reach a game-high of a 28-point
difference, 66-38, on a Gordon jumper at the 4:53 mark.

Dukes scored the final nine Wildcats points, as they closed the game on a 16-3
run after Gordon's basket. The lone Charlotte points during the stretch came
via Hammonds at 3:03 and a free throw from Jessica Johnson, who was seeing her
first action since 2010-11 due to injury, with 21 seconds to play.

The 49ers will now take nine days off for the holidays and return to action at
the GSU Hoops & Holiday Tournament in Atlanta, December 29-30. Charlotte
will open the event against Toledo and then face either host Georgia State or
Mississippi Valley State the following day based upon results of the opening
round matchups.

The entire tournament can be heard on Charlotte49ers.com with AJ Mead on the
call. The former voice of the program makes his return to the radio as a
substitution for regular broadcaster Josh Feldman.

Opening statement
It was a great win. I was really excited for our team. We just did an outstanding job, particularly defensively.
We started the game a little shaky, got up big, they went on that run hit three
straight threes. I called a timeout and I challenged us defensively to be a lot
better and then we held them to two points for the rest of the half and even
into the second half. So that just a tribute to our team. We work really hard
defensively to be better to be able to dictate we made it tougher for them to
run their stuff we held them to 29% shooting. Held their best player to only 4
points. Overall just a great defensive team effort. Offensively we did a lot of good things.
Forty points out of the first half, moved the ball well, had a lot better
rhythm. Good offense ended up with three players in double figures. I was really proud of our freshman Kira
Gordon. She played outstanding minutes off the bench 5-7 12points for her
career high. She did a great job. It was a great win particularly going into
the holidays which is always really hard. Kids are thinking about going home
and its tough. All their friends are home to come and play this focused I
thought was a really good step for our team. I thought this was a really good
job by our team.

On
team's focus as lead was built and maintainedYes
I was and that something I adjusted at halftime and number one, Davidson is a
good enough team and can score quick enough that they could be right back in
the game. But mature teams, championship teams, postseason-caliber teams, they
do it for 40 minutes. Now we had a little bit of a let down at the end. I just thought we were really locked in and
it meant something to our team. We set defensive goals every game and we are
trying to get those. We trying to see goal stickers go up on the goal board and
I think that is becoming more important to them and that what's going to make
us successful.

On
changes made during the timeoutReally
didn't make any changes, i just got on them. We had a two-to- three minute
period that we went brain dead we gave up three, three, three on kids we know
can shot the ball. That's in the scout. Ball side deny. Don't give them
something easy and we just lost our focus. Davidson is good enough that they
can make you pay for that. The timeout was more to just refocus them get them
back on the same page and to just light a fire under them and they responded
really well.

On
Hillary's last three performances Hillary
is an outstanding player. She started the year strong she had a bit of shoulder
injury that slowed her down but now you are beginning to see the Hillary we had
at the beginning of the season. She is better, she is fresher and she is the
type of offensive player when she's feeling good she can make a lot of things
happen. She is essential to our offense. You know you love coaching players
that when she releases the ball it will go in every time. And that's how I feel
when she shoots the ball. She has the green light for us and she has really
stepped up and done a great job. She's just such a competitor and she raises
the level for our team every time she's on the court

On
having a balanced stat sheetAbsolutely.
I mean we love it. That's the thing about our team. Most of the games we have
won, we have had a balanced scoring. We have had several people in double
figures, 3-4-5 people and I think that's just great. It makes it harder for
people to scout us and it just shows that we have people capable of stepping up
regardless. I mean a lot of people as we continue to go on will focus on
Jennifer (Hailey) and Amanda (Dowe) but we have other weapons that can help us
so that going to make us great I mean help us out a lot.

On
expectations in final five non-conference games before conference play beginsI
would like us defensively to continue to get better. Again, I thought the two
games this week were the best games we played defensively, particularly, in our
game plan and our scout. We have not done that prior to these two games. So I
think that's important but at the same time, we would like to be able to
pressure the ball and deny more. Davidson is a team that average 22 turnovers,
we only forced them to 13. We have the ability to be better at that. We have to
continue to grow. Offensively, just getting things a little bit smoother.
Obviously, we are scoring well just because we have talent, but there are a lot
of times if you watched us when we ran something we just stood there. Just
getting into a continuity offensively so it doesn't give the defense time to
rest and adjust and keeps the pressure on them.

On
where the team is at this point in the season
I'm happy with our progress. I mean we are not where we want to be yet but we
are trying to be a great team in March. We are not trying to be a great team
now. I want to be a better and better team as we go and I think we have shown
improvement. In our two losses that we dropped were tough losses and I think we
grew from them. And I think that the most important thing. You want to play a
schedule that challenges you and if you drop some games it's ok, if it makes
you better. I think that this team has done that. We have responded, we have
tried to get better week by week and I think if we continue to do that we will
be prepared for A-10 play, which is going to be really brutal.

On play of Ayanna Holmes
Well it's nice to have her. She is really a combo guard in our offense. She
really a wing player but she has the ability to handle the ball so it nice to
be able to have that flexibility with her. If Ny is denied and we need her to
run the point, she has the ability to do that. She played a lot of point for us
last year and so it just helps our rotation, it helps our overall depth, to
know that she can stand in and do some of that.

On
her feeling the last three gamesWell
it just been treatment. I've been in treatment, usually twice a day, for my
shoulder and my knees and my back. Everything is getting squared away.

On
if defensive pressure was the key to breaking open a tight game earlyWe
had to pressure them. Coach was saying to pressure them. We had to pressure
everybody on the team because they couldn't handle it, especially the point
guard. She was hesitant.

On
where the team is at this point of the seasonI
think we are in a good spot. The next 4 days, Coach has said we can't take them
off, of course. We got this Georgia tournament coming up. We got some pretty
tough opponents but we are in a good spot. We just can let up on anybody and
continue to grow as a team and individually.

On playing with an unselfish teamOh yes. It showed from the beginning of the summer when the freshmen came in.
We didn't care who scored the ball. We were just really unselfish.